E-Malt.com News article: USA, PA: 2SP Brewing Company opens in Aston on August 4

As the doors of 2SP Brewing Company opened, the guys behind the operation made certain not to disappoint their guests, The Times Herald reported on August 10.

“People came out of the woodwork for it,” Michael Contreras, 2SP Brewing’s spokesman, said. “People were lined up out the door. The best part was they really loved the beer.”

2SP Brewing Company is the creation of renowned beer crafter Bob Barrar, restaurant owners Michael Stiglitz and Ben Muse and head cellarman Andrew “Ruby” Rubenstein.

On August 4 they opened. By now, they expect to have 10 to 11 beers available on their 20-beer tap.

“We’re building it up,” Contreras said. “Beer takes time to ferment and we only have so many. Consistency is a big thing. If you have a Delco Lager, it’s going to be the same every time.”

Finally, a beer to match the uniqueness of this special western Philadelphia suburb that has its own Urban Dictionary definition describing it, in part, as not just a place to live but a way of life.

An outsider who’s become Delco-assimilated, Contreras has seen the vibe when out selling the beer.

“In Philly, I go out and I say, ‘Hey, you know, I’m with 2SP Brewing, I’m with Bob,’” Contreras said. “They say, ‘We’ll take whatever. Bob’s a world-class brewer. In Delco, it’s crazy. Here, it’s, ‘Yeah, yeah, Bobby! He’s the neighbourhood brewer kid. Yeah, we’ll support you in that.’ It’s great. It’s terrific. It’s two sides of the coin.”

“When we started out, Bob has been fantastic, it’s been very collaborative internally as far as what we brew,” Contreras said. “But what hasn’t been collaborative is the Delco Lager. Bob said, ‘I only want one beer to be brewed and it’s Delco Lager.’”

“Delco Lager is kind of the beginnings of what it could grow to be,” Barrar said. “It’s a transition beer. Delco’s got a way to go with the beer industry. For Delco Lager, I took an amber lager and I lightened up a little bit. That’s pretty much what I went for. It’s a pretty easy drinking beer.”

Besides Delco Lager, others in the core repertoire include the Patina, a saison, Belgian farmhouse ale; the Baby Bob, an American stout style; the double IPA Bellcracker; the East Coast-style session IPA ASAP; and the Weisswit, which is a hybrid between the Berliner Weisse and Belgian white witbier.

“We’re trying to just be that place where it’s no frills, great beer and we’re trying to invite people from all over,” Contreras said. “We want guys coming in here after a hard day’s work and when they’re trying to enjoy the weekend and just enjoy themselves. In some small way, we want them to experience that Delco attitude.”

And that’s what it all comes down to. “We are a Delco brewery first and foremost,” Contreras said. “Bob Barrar is a world-class brewer but a native of Delco. The community is really integral to who we are and what we’re trying to do. We have a beer called Delco Lager. We’re trying to be a representation of them so the way we conduct ourselves, we want to make Delco proud.”


12 August, 2015